Enhancement of the screening effect in semiconductor detectors in the presence of the neutrino magnetic moment

Abstract

The theoretical framework of the neutrino electron excitation at low energies including the screening effect in semiconductor detectors is developed for the first time, both in the Standard Model and in the presence of the neutrino magnetic moment. We explore the contribution of the screening effect of semiconductors to the neutrino electron excitation based on the linear response theory and calculate the corresponding numerical results. We show that excitation rates from the neutrino magnetic moment are dramatically enhanced {by} the screening effect and the sensitivity can be significantly improved to the level of $10^{-13}\,\mu_{\rm B}$, much better than the current {laboratory and astrophysical} limits.